


Silence

by fairycakejisoo



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-05-06 21:28:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14656584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairycakejisoo/pseuds/fairycakejisoo
Summary: Chanyeol has a crush on his roommate, Baekhyun.





	Silence

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE take the domestic violence tag seriously, I know that sometimes I read things I know will upset me and they always do, so do keep in mind the warning.
> 
> This is such a jumble of words. I wrote this in the middle of the night and then revised when I was actually thinking straight. I don't know if the initial idea is properly conveyed but I wanted to get it out there because I didn't plan on adding to it.
> 
> Feedback appreciated, enjoy! (unbeta-ed)
> 
> -Mimi

Chanyeol didn’t expect change to come when it did.

 

His current roommate, Baekhyun, had left their shared apartment like usual, at five-fifty on the nose. The uniform: dressed and preened enough to be considered more than acceptable, on schedule ten minutes early for his date at six in the evening. Yet, he still rushed out the door as if his boyfriend had been waiting for hours, eyes downcast to his phone as always.

It was a routine Chanyeol was used to. Baekhyun would leave their apartment every Tuesday and Thursday at the same time for a date with his fancy boyfriend Min Jungwoo. Chanyeol didn’t know where they went, though he’d assumed some posh restaurant in _Gangnam District_ where Baekhyun would be treated to any kind of delicacies he wished to have, only to be swept back to Jungwoo’s apartment at the end of the night for – Chanyeol didn’t even want to think of what happened then. The point was, Jungwoo was exactly what Baekhyun deserved, and much to his despair and heartache, Chanyeol was not. He was probably the opposite, considering he owned six of the same outfits and ate instant ramyeon for every meal.

No, Baekhyun was not made for Chanyeol, but the latter was (nearly) over that fact. For the most part, ignoring his feelings wasn’t that hard, distracting himself with his job at the café down the street worked during the day, and at night, Baekhyun was either _with_ Jungwoo or shut in his room on the phone _to_ Jungwoo, so Chanyeol had most of his time to himself. Their relationship sounded suffocating, though he understood the feeling of wanting to be with someone you care about at all hours of the day. He certainly would if he had the opportunity.

After Baekhyun left for his date, Chanyeol got comfortable on the couch, chose one of the variety shows that lined his TV’s guide, and sipped on some beer he’d picked up on his way home. Halfway through the opening monologue, he realized he hadn't even said goodbye to Baekhyun this time. It happened, from time to time, especially since his roommate was always rushing to go see his precious boyfriend and Chanyeol wasn’t going to pretend that him and Baekhyun were close, they were borderline using each other for the lower price in rent. Seoul wasn’t cheap, and a year ago when he’d opened his door to the smiling face of Byun Baekhyun, light brown hair dusting across his forehead ever-so-softly, dainty hand gripping the _ROOMMATE WANTED_ papers he’d posted around two days prior, he accepted on the spot.

Sure, maybe the fact that Baekhyun had taken his heart along with half of his apartment made Chanyeol a lot friendlier towards him, but the relationship he and Baekhyun shared was not a close one.

 

 

Their lack of farewell most likely wasn’t even a passing thought to Baekhyun.

 

 

 

 

 

Chanyeol pretended he was okay with that.

 

 

 

 

 

At around nine at night, Chanyeol, just moments away from drifting off on the couch, was startled by the front door bursting open, followed by it slamming shut and the deadbolt being violently closed. As he sat up, he saw the blubbering mess that was his roommate, pushing his back against the door as he sank to the floor with misery. Before he could assess the situation further, the door began shaking. Banging rang through their apartment, followed by calls of Baekhyun’s name. Chanyeol assumed it was Jungwoo, even though he hadn’t met the guy before, it was an obvious guess. Chanyeol had never seen Baekhyun move faster when to both their surprise the security code for their door lock was triggered and it opened, being stopped only by the deadbolt Baekhyun had cleverly put in place seconds before. His roommate now sat against the back of the couch, facing the door, and still sobbing.

 

Chanyeol hadn’t realized that Baekhyun had given Jungwoo the codes to their building.

 

 

“Baekkie…” Came an eerie voice from outside the door. “Unlock it, please. I just want to talk about what happened, okay? You don’t need to do this.” Jungwoo’s hand appeared inside their apartment, searching on the other side for the deadbolt. Chanyeol stood up, now equally as scared as Baekhyun who pulled his knees into his chest.

“Don’t come in! Please, l-leave me alone!” Baekhyun whimpered, voice mirroring the mess of his appearance.

Chanyeol stepped around the couch and knelt next to his roommate, taking his eyes off the door in favour of checking on him.

“Baekhyun, are you alright? What’s going on?” He asked softly, placing his hand onto the other’s shaking shoulder. He was relieved that tears were the only thing that stained his red cheeks. Baekhyun flinched away from the touch before realizing it was Chanyeol.

“Please, don-don’t let him in here.” Baekhyun whispered as Jungwoo pulled on the deadlock chain, unable to get it loose. Chanyeol nodded and turned his attention back to the commotion, standing and approaching cautiously.

“Baekhyun, open this door! Baby, I just want to talk to you, you’re embarrassing me!”

Chanyeol cleared his throat and stood tall.

“I think you should go.” He said, raising his voice to sound powerful despite his hesitance. “You can talk to Baekhyun in the morning.”

There was a bit of silence, but soon the hand holding the chain retreated, though the door stayed ajar as his foot was wedged between it and the frame.

“That’s Chanyeol, right? Listen, we just had a misunderstanding, and it really doesn’t concern you so if you could-”

“No, this is my place, and you need to leave.” Chanyeol was getting angry now. Clearly, Baekhyun didn’t want to see him tonight, couldn’t he take a hint?

Again, silence, minus Baekhyun’s sniffling from the ground, until a sigh was heard from Jungwoo.

“Fine, I’ll leave, but Baekkie, please text me later so I know you’re alright. I love you.” He said with finality, standing at the door for a few seconds more until he shut it, the automatic lock beeping back into place in a tauntingly happy manner. Chanyeol let out some breath and looked at Baekhyun, who was furiously wiping his tears with his sleeves.

“Are you alright?” Chanyeol asked after more quiet, to which Baekhyun replied by standing and wiping his jeans off.

“I’m sorry,” Was what he started with, the old tears still on his cheeks and a blank face replacing his earlier, fearful one. “I wore my shoes inside, now the floors are dirty. I’ll have to mop tomorrow to make up for it.” Baekhyun breathlessly laughed while crossing the floor to switch his sneakers for slippers, though he couldn’t hide his hesitation when he stood beside the front door. “I’m going to shower, then probably sleep. It’s been a long day, hasn’t it?”

With a not-at-all reassuring half-smile, Baekhyun was gone and into his bedroom. Chanyeol remained speechless, not sure what to make of the whole ordeal. If Baekhyun wasn’t making it a big deal of it, maybe he shouldn’t either.

 

He turned off the television and went to his room to sleep. Baekhyun would talk to him if he needed to.

 

 

They really weren’t close enough for him to pry.

 

 

 

 

Chanyeol didn’t get so much as two hours sleep before he felt the small mattress shift and a warm, shaking body side under the blankets with him. When he opened his eyes, he noticed Baekhyun curled up, back facing him and trying to make as much space between them as he could, though the bed was only meant for one person, and Chanyeol already found it a tight fit for himself.

“Baekhyun?” He whispered, squinting to make out his face when he turned out of shock.

“Oh, Chanyeol, I-I’m sorry that I woke you I-” Baekhyun whimpered, sniffing as he shook. He’d been crying again, even in the dark that was obvious. If Baekhyun needed him, Chanyeol wasn’t going to turn him away.

“It’s okay, Baekhyun, I don’t mind. What’s up?” Chanyeol wished he had the ability to be more eloquent with his words.

“He-he won’t stop calling an-and I’m afraid that if I stay in there alone I’m going to pick up…” Came the small voiced-reply. Chanyeol gently pushed hair out of his face while he spoke, listening to try and make Baekhyun feel more confident. He didn't know what had gotten into him, but Baekhyun didn't scold him for touching.

“You can stay here, okay? You don’t need to talk to him if you don’t want to. I don’t know what happened, but you’re allowed time to cool down.” At that, Baekhyun pushed himself towards Chanyeol and hugged him.

 

He may not have thought he deserved it, but Chanyeol couldn’t argue with that.

 

The next day, Baekhyun had Chanyeol take his phone.

 

 

Things were fairly calm for two weeks after that. Baekhyun still hadn’t told Chanyeol the full story but judging by the bruises he’d spotted one night when Baekhyun was getting changed for bed, he’d deducted that it hadn't been a fair fight.

Their routine had changed as well as Baekhyun’s habits. Instead of the two never being seen in the same room, now they were rarely less than 5 feet of each other at home. They would order from different restaurants and eat in front of the television watching reruns of their favourite dramas. At night, they shared Chanyeol’s bed, keeping their distance at first and ending up cuddling by morning. Chanyeol didn’t think they would ever get this close to one another, but by the second week, Chanyeol was sure that Baekhyun always remembered to say goodbye to him before he left for work.

Jungwoo hadn’t returned to their apartment, though Chanyeol was sure Baekhyun’s phone would have many messages to go through when he got it back.

 

The third Tuesday after the incident, when Chanyeol got home from working late, he felt excited for him and Baekhyun to try out the new barbeque place that had opened up around the corner. Much to his surprise, rather than eagerly awaiting his and Chanyeol's meal, Chanyeol found Baekhyun pulling his shoes on in a hurry, phone out and jacket on. It was like déjà vu.

“Going somewhere?” Chanyeol asked with confusion, looking the shorter up and down.

“Oh, Yeol, Jungwoo and I are going out tonight, so I’ll probably be home later, yeah? Don’t wait up for me.” Baekhyun explained with a smile. The nickname was new, but more importantly so was Baekhyun suddenly being okay with Jungwoo again.

“But Baek, I thought that you guys-”

“Chanyeol, it’s fine. We talked today while you were out, and he explained everything, said that it was all just a big misunderstanding. I’m sorry that you had to see it, but it really was just an honest mistake. We worked it out, he’s sorry, and he promised that he’s never going to hurt me again. He loves me, and I love him with all my heart. I hope you can understand.” Baekhyun, though he had been trying to explain it all to Chanyeol, sounded more like he was trying to convince himself that what he'd just said was true.

As much as he didn’t want to, as much as his heart strained him to snap Baekhyun out of it, tell him what his true feelings were and live happily ever after, Chanyeol let him go.

 

He nodded slowly and watched Baekhyun rush out the door like he always had, chasing after a boy who was only going to hurt him again.

 

 

Chanyeol stayed silent.

 

 

 

Baekhyun forgot to say goodbye.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I'll be updating with a part two soon~ In the meantime, you can follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/sereneseungyeon) for updates if you'd like!
> 
> -Mimi


End file.
